Construction of the Kazungula Bridge linking Zambia and Botswana is making good progress and it is expected to open by no later than March next year.
This bilateral project between Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe will be a game-changer in southern Africa, reducing delays and costs in the movement of cargo. According to Duncan Bonnett, an African project expert and analyst at Africa House, the bridge will unlock massive potential in the region.
“One only has to look at the location to realise how integral it is. Other than Botswana, one has Zambia in front of you, Zimbabwe on the right, Namibia on your left. It really is a lodestone.” Costing nearly $230 million, the bridge stretches over 923 metres and will replace the existing ferry crossing between the two countries. A one-stop border post is planned for Kazungula once construction of the bridge is completed. Analysts agree that the success of the bridge is a given.
“Big infrastructure has to be justified in a regional context,” said Bonnett. “Botswana is a small market and the infrastructure has to look at what the context is.” He said southern African countries had a lot to gain from working together on projects like the bridge.
“The rail projects in these countries, for example, would also be more viable if looked at from a regional point of view. A rail project is being discussed linking Botswana into Zambia and the DRC Copperbelts. There is also the coal project in Eastern Botswana with the option of moving it out through Francistown to a Mozambican port. There is the Trans Kalahari railway going to Walvis Bay – but all of these projects are extensive. These railways would need to be over 1000 km whether one is going east or west.”
He said while there was a lot of discussion taking place around these projects they had to be considered and developed regionally rather than by a single country.
